A SERIAL fraudster who set up a fake company advertising bogus luxury cars made £80,000 from his illegal trade.

Edward Van Vessem, 35, was jailed for five years in August for the scam which involved him placing adverts in national newspapers for cars at massive discounts.

He promised to deliver Mini Coopers, a Range Rover, a Mercedes SL63 and a BMW X5 to would-be customers. But when buyers sent their money, no cars were delivered and Van Vessem, of no fixed address, vanished. Jailing him, a judge said Van Vessem, who admitted 16 charges, posed a “real risk” to other people’s financial well-being.

But he was back in the dock yesterday to face a proceeds of crime hearing aimed to strip him of his ill-gotten gains.

Barristers in the case had already negotiated and it was agreed that Van Vessem had made a total of £80,000 from his scam. But David McLachlan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court it was accepted he only had £1,104 to hand over. He told the court the cash Van Vessem made from the cars was long gone, but any valuable items, such as clothing, a computer, and a satellite navigation system had been taken and would be auctioned.

Judge David Swift ordered Van Vessem to hand over the cash in the next four months, or face a further 28 days behind bars.

The judge also made orders for four of Van Vessem’s co-conspirators, two of them who were drug dealers he had met while he was in prison for fraud. Tom Speed, of Peterborough Drive, Bootle, and Kevin Sullivan, of St Edmonds Road, Seaforth, were both jailed for 12 months for their roles. Speed, 24, was found to have made £6,000 from his involvement in the plot. He was ordered to hand over £150 in the next 56 days or face an extra seven days in jail. While Sullivan, 26, was found to have benefited to the tune of £21,980. An analysis of his accounts revealed he had no assets and he was ordered to hand over a nominal £1.

The three took part in a variety of frauds including the luxury car con, personal injury frauds relating to fake car crashes and selling non existent iPhones. They also recruited people, suffering from drug addictions, debt problems or mental health issues, to aid them in their scams.

Paul Walton, 41, of Alfred Mews in the city centre, was found to have made £3,537 from his involvement with two different cars. He was also ordered to hand over a nominal £1, while William Green, 28, of Tudor Street, Kensington, was found to have made £2,150 and had £470 available. The judge ordered him to hand over the cash within 14 days.